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Selected Short Stories
By the age of thirty, Weldon Kees (1914–55) was a poet, journalist, musician, painter, photographer, and short story writer living in New York City. Despite a contract for a forthcoming novel, however, he stopped writing fiction, moved to San Francisco, and worked as an artist and filmmaker. On July 18, 1955, his car was found on the Golden Gate Bridge, and he has not been seen since.
These stories by Kees, predominantly set in Depression-era mid-America, feature bleak, realistic settings and characters resigned to their meager lives. The owner of an auto parts store occasionally "sells" his sister Betty Lou to interested patrons; a cryptic message in library books indicates the yearnings of a silenced patron; a young woman taking tickets at the Roseland Gardens futilely dreams of escape from the future she sees for herself; and an old man carefully saves his money to fulfill the requirements of a chain letter only to be disappointed by a spiteful daughter-in-law. Many of these stories are set in the Nebraska of Kees's youth, and they are written from a Midwestern sensibility: keenly observant, darkly humorous, and absurdly fantastic.
In this new edition, Dana Gioia has added three stories to the fourteen gathered in the first edition, The Ceremony and Other Stories. The New York Times named that first edition, published in 1984, a notable book of the year.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
172 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
2 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Weldon Kees
30 books28 followersWeldon Kees was born in Beatrice, Nebraska, on February 24, 1914. His father, John Kees, owned a hardware store. As a boy, Kees had an interest in music, art, and writing. He also published his own movie magazine. In 1935, he graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.A. degree. While still in college, Kees began to publish fiction in many mid-western literary magazines.
Kees began to write and publish poems shortly after college. His first job was working for the Federal Writers' Project in Lincoln, Nebraska. Through the 1930s Kees mostly wrote short stories, placing them in the little magazines and intellectual quarterlies (Prairie Schoone, Horizon, Rocky Mountain Review). He continued to write fiction after leaving the Federal Writers Project for a job as a librarian in Denver. In October 1937 at the age of 24, he married Ann Swan. His reputation as a writer of fiction continued to grow. A novel, Fall Quarter, was completed in 1941, but its whimsical tale of a young professor who battles the dreariness of staid Nebraskan college life was thought by publishers to be too droll for a year in which war seemed imminent (eventually published in 1990). In 1943, the couple moved to New York City, where Kees wrote for Time magazine and published reviews in national magazines and newspapers such as The Nation and The New Republic. Kees's first collection of poems, The Last Man, was published in 1943. His second collection, The Fall of Magicians, first appeared in 1947.
In the mid-forties, he also began to paint; he had one-man shows at galleries including the Peridot Gallery. His painting was often shown with and compared to abstract expressionists such as William de Kooning. Between 1934 and 1945, he published more than thirty stories.
In 1951 Kees moved to San Francisco. In California, he began to study and play jazz piano, while continuing his painting. His jobs included writing film reviews for radio, writing for a theater review entitled Poets Follies, and working on screenplays. Much of this writing is collected in the volume Reviews and Essays, 1936-1955 (1988).
In the mid 1950s, Kees became increasingly depressed. His wife became seriously alcoholic and then mentally ill; the two separated in 1954 and were divorced. His final book, Poems 1947-1954, was published in 1954.
On July 18, 1955, his car was found abandoned on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. He had told a friend that he wanted, like Hart Crane, to start a new life in Mexico. He had also suggested that he might kill himself. His disappearance has been treated as a presumed suicide.
Five years after his disappearance and presumed suicide, Kees's Collected Poems was first published. In his introduction to that volume, Donald Justice called Kees among the three or four best of his generation. Justice went on to note that Kees is original in one of the few ways that matter: he speaks to us in a voice or, rather, in a particular tone of voice which we have never heard before. Kees's Collected Poems have since been reprinted twice. His collection of fiction, Ceremony and Other Stories, first appeared in 1983.
Kees began to write and publish poems shortly after college. His first job was working for the Federal Writers' Project in Lincoln, Nebraska. Through the 1930s Kees mostly wrote short stories, placing them in the little magazines and intellectual quarterlies (Prairie Schoone, Horizon, Rocky Mountain Review). He continued to write fiction after leaving the Federal Writers Project for a job as a librarian in Denver. In October 1937 at the age of 24, he married Ann Swan. His reputation as a writer of fiction continued to grow. A novel, Fall Quarter, was completed in 1941, but its whimsical tale of a young professor who battles the dreariness of staid Nebraskan college life was thought by publishers to be too droll for a year in which war seemed imminent (eventually published in 1990). In 1943, the couple moved to New York City, where Kees wrote for Time magazine and published reviews in national magazines and newspapers such as The Nation and The New Republic. Kees's first collection of poems, The Last Man, was published in 1943. His second collection, The Fall of Magicians, first appeared in 1947.
In the mid-forties, he also began to paint; he had one-man shows at galleries including the Peridot Gallery. His painting was often shown with and compared to abstract expressionists such as William de Kooning. Between 1934 and 1945, he published more than thirty stories.
In 1951 Kees moved to San Francisco. In California, he began to study and play jazz piano, while continuing his painting. His jobs included writing film reviews for radio, writing for a theater review entitled Poets Follies, and working on screenplays. Much of this writing is collected in the volume Reviews and Essays, 1936-1955 (1988).
In the mid 1950s, Kees became increasingly depressed. His wife became seriously alcoholic and then mentally ill; the two separated in 1954 and were divorced. His final book, Poems 1947-1954, was published in 1954.
On July 18, 1955, his car was found abandoned on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. He had told a friend that he wanted, like Hart Crane, to start a new life in Mexico. He had also suggested that he might kill himself. His disappearance has been treated as a presumed suicide.
Five years after his disappearance and presumed suicide, Kees's Collected Poems was first published. In his introduction to that volume, Donald Justice called Kees among the three or four best of his generation. Justice went on to note that Kees is original in one of the few ways that matter: he speaks to us in a voice or, rather, in a particular tone of voice which we have never heard before. Kees's Collected Poems have since been reprinted twice. His collection of fiction, Ceremony and Other Stories, first appeared in 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 6, 2014
My only problem with this book is Kees lived such a short life and did not write very much that I'm perplexed as to why we cannot get a complete work of Mr. Kees. I'm sure Dana Giola has selected what she believes to be Kees most defining works, but she only focuses on his short stories. You cannot find his poetry or correspondence in this work. Other than not having a complete collection of his talents this book is great. It is all I desire out of a collection of short stories. Kees hits his mark with each story under fifteen pages. His characters seem to be written perfectly, and as a reader I am drawn to them within the first or second page. Kees is a a terrific historian of the post-depression, post World War II era of small town Nebraska, and no one can make that time seem more interesting.
His writing comes across as real and succinct. It is easy to escape to that time and place in the heartland of main street america and live in the world he witnessed.
These short stories are amazing, but don't equate them to the amalgam that is Weldon Kees.
Someone needs to make a tribute to this man that everyone can gain instant access to all that he accomplished in his short, tragic life. He is one of america's greatest writers that disappeared. No one knows what actually happened to him.
"Blood stains the font."
His writing comes across as real and succinct. It is easy to escape to that time and place in the heartland of main street america and live in the world he witnessed.
These short stories are amazing, but don't equate them to the amalgam that is Weldon Kees.
Someone needs to make a tribute to this man that everyone can gain instant access to all that he accomplished in his short, tragic life. He is one of america's greatest writers that disappeared. No one knows what actually happened to him.
"Blood stains the font."
September 21, 2025
Excellent short stories with great economy of language. High spots include The Ceremony, I Should Worry, The Evening of the Fourth of July, and Farewell to Frognall. The penultimate story mentioned is particularly distinguished with regards to its surreality and humour. I can easily recommend this collection as an introduction to the works of Kees, who is still quite under appreciated.
February 8, 2017
Reading leads you down many paths. Some paths are well known and fairly well traveled with famous authors, and those paths may lead you to an off-shoot, a path overgrown and the road not so clear and not as well traveled, but that path may lead you to discover a writer and his work that will show you vistas rarely seen. Such is the case of thee “Selected Short Stories of Weldon Kees”.
At first glance Kees stories seem very simple, but a deeper look reveals nuanced descriptions and depictions of 1930's Nebraska. Kees was creating a fictional town much like Faulkner did with his Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Kees stories are set in the fictional town of Weston, Nebraska. Each story is about or from the point of view of one the town's inhabitants, a slice of their everyday lives, people at work, in jobs they don’t necessarily enjoy and are looking forward to other things to relieve them in the moment, not many of Kees characters are happy, most are unhappy and display the most venal of traits. Seemingly trivial actions by the characters adds to the verisimilitude of the story and defines the characters, and gives the reader a view into the characters behaviors and our own.
Kees was a musician and music is used to great effect in the stories, much as a soundtrack acts in a movie, a nuance that adds to the atmosphere of the story. Another strength of Kees, he had a good ear for how people talk, even down to repeating what they’ve said to cover nervousness or lapses in their conversation. He uses dialog to great effect, establishing relationships without unnecessary exposition.
Kees stories are short, maybe what Kerouac would call sketches, or a painters still-life. Each story focuses on one character (even if there are ancillary characters) and Kees writing seems so effortless if he’s just writing what he sees. That's not to say there's no artifice here, Kees juxtapositions and use of irony are the insight of an artist. If you take some time between the stories it becomes a meal to savor (sorry about mixing metaphors). Weldon Kees is a writer well worth taking the time to discover.
At first glance Kees stories seem very simple, but a deeper look reveals nuanced descriptions and depictions of 1930's Nebraska. Kees was creating a fictional town much like Faulkner did with his Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Kees stories are set in the fictional town of Weston, Nebraska. Each story is about or from the point of view of one the town's inhabitants, a slice of their everyday lives, people at work, in jobs they don’t necessarily enjoy and are looking forward to other things to relieve them in the moment, not many of Kees characters are happy, most are unhappy and display the most venal of traits. Seemingly trivial actions by the characters adds to the verisimilitude of the story and defines the characters, and gives the reader a view into the characters behaviors and our own.
Kees was a musician and music is used to great effect in the stories, much as a soundtrack acts in a movie, a nuance that adds to the atmosphere of the story. Another strength of Kees, he had a good ear for how people talk, even down to repeating what they’ve said to cover nervousness or lapses in their conversation. He uses dialog to great effect, establishing relationships without unnecessary exposition.
Kees stories are short, maybe what Kerouac would call sketches, or a painters still-life. Each story focuses on one character (even if there are ancillary characters) and Kees writing seems so effortless if he’s just writing what he sees. That's not to say there's no artifice here, Kees juxtapositions and use of irony are the insight of an artist. If you take some time between the stories it becomes a meal to savor (sorry about mixing metaphors). Weldon Kees is a writer well worth taking the time to discover.
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August 1, 2019Best known for his poetry, Kees--who almost certainly jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to his death in summer, 1955--also wrote many fine short stories, 17 of which appear here. Most also appeared in the collection THE CEREMONY & OTHER STORIES, but this edition adds three more, one great ("Life of the Mind"), one good ("Every Year They Came Out"), one mediocre ("Three Young Priests", the only weak entry here). As a public library employee I especially like the stories set in that milieu: "Public Library", "The Library: Four Sketches", and "The Sign". (Reading "The Sign"--about a frustrated librarian who only wants to make her workplace a little better--always makes me cry, I admit it.) "The Evening of the 4th of July" is another favorite, a scathing, surreal satire of WWII-era patriotism. (Kees was a draft dodger and proud of it.) It's hard to believe (actually, it's all too easy to believe) that with all the junk published every year, these excellent stories remained unread for decades, but they're available now and as worthwhile as ever.
May 25, 2016
Very well crafted short stories with quite a few illuminating moments. He also has the ability to insert miniature stories within the story, the mark of a good story-teller filled with ideas. I was especially fond of Waldon Kees' use of public libraries as a setting for a number of his stories. All the same, the stories have a bleakness about them, which can be disturbing.
January 10, 2008
Man, can this guy write a short story. Tight, sharp, Carver-esque I guess, but distinct. He stopped writing at 40 and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge.
January 8, 2010
Very effective collection of stories that give you a feel for depression era America. Small town life, individual struggles, grim and persevering people, and stark settings.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews